Chair



April 27, 1943. c, BOOTH 2,317,515

CHAIR Filed Ileb. 5, 1940 INVENTOR.

Y 7922 2900 BY iF-raE/VE r.-r,

Patented Apr. 27, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHAIR Application February 5, 1940, Serial No. 317,235

1 Claim.

My invention relates to metal chairs of the type having generally U-shaped side members formed preferably of metal tubing and arranged so that one of the two generally parallel legs will rest on the ground or floor while the other provides an arm for the chair. It is the object of my invention to produce a chair of this general type which will support the load imposed upon it with a relatively high degree of resilience; which will be stable, especially in respect to any tendency to tip forwardly; which will be rigid except in respect to a vertically imposed load; which may be simply and economically manufactured; and which, before assembly, can be compactly packaged.

In carrying out my invention I provide for each side of the chair a resilient side member, desirably of metal tubing, formed into a general U- shape to provide a lower horizontal portion adapted to rest on the ground or floor, an intermediate, generally vertical portion, and an upper horizontal portion adapted to serve as an arm. The seat and back of the chair are conveniently formed separately, desirably as sheet-metal stampings, the rear end of the seat and the lower end of the back being secured together, the front end of the seat being attached to the intermediate portions of the side members, and the rear ends of the arm-forming portions of the side members being secured to the back at a point above the seat. The

connection of the side members to the seat and to the back is of such a character as to increase the efiective rigidity of the side members against distortion otherwise than in a vertical plane. An important feature of my invention resides in the shape given the intermediate portion of each side member below the seat, that portion being so shaped as to possess a relatively high degree of resilience while still joining the bottom horizontal portion of the side member at a point far enough forward to provide adequate stability of the chair against any tendency to tip forwardly.

The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention: Figs. 1 and 2 are side and front elevations respectively of a chair constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 3 is a fragmental side elevation of the front portion of the seat, with portions of the latter broken away to show the construction more clearly; Fig. 4 is a fragmental horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a fragmental front elevation of a part of the chair-back, with portions of the back and of the associated arm broken away and appearing in section; Fig. 6 is a fragmental section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 7 is an illustration of the manner in which the parts of the chair may be arranged for packing and shipping.

The chair illustrated in the drawing comprises a seat In and a back ll formed separately, desirably as sheet-metal stampings. Around its edges, the seat [0 is provided with a downwardly extending, integrally formed flange l2; and a similar flange l3, projecting rearwardly, is provided at the sides and across the top of the back H. Bolts l4 extending through the back II and the flange I2 at the rear of the seat serve to hold the seat and back together.

The unit formed by the seat l9 and back H is supported from the ground or floor by means of two side members l6, shown as formed of metal tubing, bent to provide a lower, generally horizontal portion I! adapted to rest on the floor or ground, and an upper horizontal portion forming an arm I8. Near each front corner of the seat In the flange I2 is formed, as indicated at 20, to provide a groove shaped to receive the intermediate portion of the adjacent side member [6, as is clear from Fig. 4. The flange [3, at each side of the back I I, is similarly shaped, as indi' cated at 2| in Fig. 5, to receive the rear end of the arm l8.

Desirably, each front corner of the chair-seat I0 is provided with a reinforcement in the form of a sheet-metal stamping 25 which lies within the flange l2 at the seat-corner and which extends for a distance in both directions from the corner along the inner face of the flange l2, being secured thereto as by spot welding. To hold the intermediat portion of each member H5 in place at the front corner of the chair-seat, two U-bolts 26 are rigidly secured to it in vertically spaced relation, the parallel legs of such bolts extending inwardly through holes in the flange l2 and/or reinforcement 25. Preferably, the U-bolts are welded to the side members. A clip 21 (Fig. 4), provided with spaced holes for the reception of the inner end of each U-bolt 26, is held in place by nuts 28 on the threaded inner ends of the U- bolt, its intermediate portion engaging the flange l2 or reinforcement 25 opposite the member 16. When the nuts 28 are tightened, the intermediate portion of the associated member 26 is held tightly in the groove 20 and prevented from turning therein, thus serving to stiffen the intermediate portion of the member l6 against torsional stresses.

The rear end of each arm l8 and the associated grooved portion 2| of the back-flange l3 are provided with alined holes for thereception of a bolt 38 which, when tightened, serves to draw the arm tightly into the groove 2| and to hold it in fixed angular position relative to the back ll.

Below its point of attachment to the seat l0, each of the side members i6 is bent forwardly, as indicated at 32 in Fig. 1; and below this forwardly bent portion, the side member is formed into a smooth rearwardly-concave curve 33 joining the front end of the horizontal portion i1.

Between the two lower horizontal portions I? of the side members I6 I provide a stretcher 35, desirably of sheet-metal, formed into achannel section and shaped at its ends to provide downwardly presented channel-like seats 33 receiving the horizontal portion ll. Bolts 31 extending through the seats 35 and the horizontal portion i! serve to hold the stretcher in place.

Desirably, each of the horizontal portions H, at the point where it is attached to the stretcher 35, is bent downwardly as indicated in Fig. 1, so that each portion-H engages the supporting surface-upon which itrests only at spaced points 39 and. 40. This arrangement not only provides for stability of the chair should the supporting surface be uneven. in character, but it alsoprol ber iii-makes it possible to increase both the radius'and the angular extcntof the bend 33. In other words, if the forward bend 32 were absent and if the bend 33 were on the same radius as is=illustrated inFig. 1, the bend 33 would have a smaller angular extent, and the point 39 would be farther to the rear than it actually is. Shortening the angular extent of the bend 33 would decrease the resilience of the chair under vertically applied loads, and rearward movement of the points 39 would decrease the stability of the chair against forward tipping. It is thus seen that by providing the forward bend 32, I am enabled to increase both the resilience of the members [5 and the stability of the chair against forward pp Because of the manner in which the side walls l6 are connected to the seat It), the back i l, and the'stretcher 35, the chair is relatively rigid to horizontally applied forces. That is, since the grooves 2! in the chair-back and the seats 36 at the end of the stretcher have a considerable extent along each side member, they tend to hold each side member in fixed angular position relative to the back H and the stretcher 35; while the U-bolts 26, rigid with each side member H5 at the points where it engages the seat, prevent the side member from being twisted at such point. As a result, the back I l of the chair cannot be moved laterally for any appreciable distance relative to the rear ends of the horizontal portions I! of the side members.

For the sake of appearance, and also to provide some stiffening effect, the back of the chair illustrated in the drawing is formed with forwardly'offset panels, shown as three in number, separated by vertically-extending, forwardly opening channels 45. The chair-seat, which is desirably of saddle conformation, may be formed with two upwardly opening channels 46 which communicate with the channels 45 in the chair back and which project ashort distance forwardly therefrom. With the seat arranged to slope rearwardly, as is preferable for greatest comfort, the channels 46 and 45. provide a path for the escape of water.

The side members 16, seat ID, and back H are so proportioned that when disassembled they may be arranged as indicated in Fig. 7, with the seat and backreceived between the upper and lower portions l8 and H of the side members. This greatly facilitates packing of the disassembled chair for shipment, as any carton large enough to receive the side members will also receive the remaining portions of the chair. The stretcher 35, being small, may be placed in such a carton in any of a variety of positions.

I claim as my invention:

In a chair having a seat and back, side Inem here for supporting said seat and back from a supporting surface, each of said side members being formed of resilient. metal tubing of circular cross-section and comprising a generally hori-- zontal portion adapted to rest on the supporting surface and a second portion rising from the front endc-f said horizontal portion to said seat, said seat being provided with adownwardly extending flange overlapping the second portion of each side member, and a U-bolt embracing and welded to said side member, projecting laterally therefrom, and extending through. said flange, said flange being formed with a groove for the reception of the side member.

EARL C. BOOTH. 

